ujima

/uˈd͡ʒiː.mə/

Etymology

From Swahili ujima (“collective work and responsibility”).

Why this word is great

UJIMA — [Noun] A principle of collective work and responsibility, emphasizing communal effort and shared accountability within African-American culture. From Swahili ujima ("collective work and responsibility"). Unlike "individualism" (which prizes personal autonomy above all) or "altruism" (which suggests a one-way sacrifice), ujima is the binding thread of mutual obligation—not charity, but covenant. It is the neighbor who repairs your fence without being asked, the shared potluck where no one leaves hungry, the chorus of voices rising in unison to lift a fallen comrade. A quiet rebuttal to the myth of solitary triumph, it whispers: no one is free until all are free.

noun

Collective work and responsibility, in the context of African-American culture.“"We save ourselves," [Dr. Sonia] Sutherland said, citing Ujima, one of the principles of Kwanzaa referring to collective effort and responsibility.”